Rebuild
by BJArthur
Summary: Conclusion to Convenience and Saturnine. That light at the end of the long, dark tunnel? Yeah, it's worth it.


i recently got a pm from texaskid begging for a follow up of _**Convenience **_and _**Saturnine**_. this is it. read those first. it's in three parts, but they're pretty easy to figure out.

this one is, then, dedicated to texaskid for helping me realise i needed to get off my butt and post this.

i hope you guys like it!

* * *

Rebuild: verb – build structure again, restore something, to make major changes to something

He stood in the doorway to their bedroom, arms folded across his chest as he admired the curve of his wife's back propped sideways on the pillows and the way the bedside low-light shot her hair with gold fire. It always took his breath away with how beautiful Ginny was. He moved silently, stripping down to his boxers and undershirt before sliding into the bed next to her.

"And how are my two favourite ladies this evening?" he asked, a large palmed hand moving over his side to her stomach. Ginny was five months pregnant and while her bump was still small, he could feel their child moving around inside.

"We're tired," she murmured. "Well, I'm tired. She won't stop kicking." Ginny placed her small hand over his, their twin gold bands glinting in the soft light as she moved him so he could feel what she felt. Two tiny feet beat against the palm of his hand.

"It's always a surprise," he said, awed, "to know that she's really in there. Do you know what my favourite part about you being pregnant is?"

"Hmm, increased libido?" she joked. He chuckled, his hand skimming from her stomach to her breast and squeezing it just a little.

"That certainly is a plus." He dropped a kiss on the curve of her neck. "But my most favourite part," he cupped her jaw and turned her head, leaning over her so he could look at her properly, "is knowing that we made something, we made a life. Our little girl is just that: she's ours." His calloused thumb swept across her cheek bone as he watched her warm brown eyes fill with emotion.

"I love you," she said, blinking back tears. He lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her so softly, so tenderly.

Tonks had been his light in the darkness, his refuge during the war. She was the one he would turn to when the world became hopeless. She had given him cause to go on, first with her love, then with their son. But Ginny was the mother of his children, the caregiver. His love for her came easily, naturally as if it had been there from the very beginning, just waiting for the right moment. The beginning had been difficult, but building a life with his sweet Ginevra made everything well worth it.

Unbeknownst to both of them, Teddy stood in the shadows of the hall, watching his parents. He was starting his first year of Hogwarts in a few days and he knew he should be in bed but he wanted to check on his mum one last time. He was a little nervous, to be honest. This was the first time he's be away from both of his parents for more than a week. He knew dad could take care of mum, and he'd be home for Winter Hols which was when his sister was supposed to be born, but he was still a little uneasy. Hogwarts was so far away, and Uncle Ron had said something about trolls. Teddy didn't know anything about battling trolls. Aunt Hermione said that Ron was just being a prat and that he didn't really have anything to worry about. Teddy knew that his aunt was probably right, but he was going to wear his lucky socks to the sorting just in case.

* * *

"And you know that if you forget anything, we can owl it to you, right?"

Teddy huffed and rolled his eyes; they were orange today. He ran a hand through his bright green hair before answering.

"Yes, mum; you've told me a thousand times."

"I know, I know; you're just... you're my baby, Teddy. I want make sure you're prepared."

"Why don't you go on through, Gin," Remus suggested, giving his wife a kiss and a slight nudge towards the barrier. "We'll be right along." Ginny let out a shuddering breath and decided that she really should go through before the pregnancy hormones got the better of her.

"Okay." She gave Remus one last lingering kiss and shot their eleven year old son a brilliant, though watery, smile before disappearing into the brick wall.

"You know," Remus said, kneeling down to look at his boy, "your mum – your first mum – would make a joke right about now about how old you're getting or about how lucky we are that you're finally going to be out of the house so she and I could have parties and stay up all night jumping on the beds."

"She was pretty funny, wasn't she?" Remus smiled.

"Yes, she was."

"Do you miss her?" It wasn't often Teddy hears his father talk about his first mum. Most of what Teddy knew came from his Gradma Andi or his mum; dad hardly ever spoke of her.

"Sometimes I do," Remus answered honestly. "Times like this, when I see how much you've grown or when you do something particularly marvellous, I wish she was here to see it. She was one in a million and she'd be so proud of you. Your mum loved you so much."

"I miss her sometimes too, especially when I see how sad Gradma Andi is. But I'm going to miss you and mum a lot while I'm at school." Teddy had been trying not to bring that up, but it was the truth. Remus gave a rueful smile.

"Well, don't tell your mum or she'll be crying all over everywhere and never let you leave. Speaking of, we should probably get going or you're going to be late. Hopefully your mum's had enough time to compose herself. You know how much she hates public scenes." Remus stood up and put a hand on his son's shoulder. "You ready?" Teddy took a deep breath.

"Were you scared?"

"Terrified." Teddy nodded.

"Okay."

Teddy would never say anything about it, but he would spend the better part of his first year with Ginny's bright red hair and Remus' brandy gold eyes.

* * *

"When we started this whole thing," Ginny said as she watched her new born daughter as she slept in her mother's arms, "I was terribly unhappy. I was positive that I'd never get a chance to know what it was like to hold my own child, or to know what it was like to really love someone." She looked up at her husband, her heart in her eyes. "You're a good man, Remus Lupin, and I couldn't be more proud to have your name or bare your children. I love you more than I ever thought I could."

Remus' heart nearly burst right out of his chest. He beast inside of him recognized his new mate and the pup they'd made together and trembled with the need to protect. It had taken a long time for the wolf to acknowledge Ginny as more than just a presence to tolerate. It wasn't until the first time they'd had sex when the wolf decided it wanted her. It had marked her that night as its own. Ginny still bore the silvery set of scars right where her left shoulder sloped down to her arm and she never covered it up unless she had to. She accepted all of him, the man's ring and the wolf's mark, and Remus loved her completely for it. He ran a hand through her hair, and kissed her forehead before settling down next to her on the hospital bed.

"I love you, too, Ginny. I love you more than you could possibly know."

They sat in silence for a while, comfortable in the warmth they shared. After a while, however, Remus remembered something he almost wished he hadn't.

"You'll never imagine who I ran into at the Ministry yesterday afternoon. I was going to collect your father and Harry Potter comes barrelling right out of his office. He ran right into me." Ginny frowned. She was very tired – it had been a long two days – but she was very curious. It had been nearly eleven years since the end of the war, since Harry had left England.

"What is he doing back now? And why didn't you tell me when you came in?" she wondered aloud. Remus coughed, looking a bit guilty though trying not to laugh.

"Well, you were having a contraction when I came in and it sort of slipped my mind until now. But apparently Harry has decided that his self-imposed exile was over. Arthur said he asked mainly about you."

"Why?"

"Your father said he came in, tail between his legs as it were, and asked for your hand in marriage. He said that eleven years was long enough for anyone to wait for their fiancé and that as soon as you were ready he'd marry you." Liquid brown eyes blinked.

"Well," she said, a bit out of breath, "how gracious of him."

"The whole thing is a bit laughable, I think," Remus continued, no longer trying to hold in his grin. "He really thought you'd wait forever for him, that you'd make no attempt to have a life of your own without him."

"That would be... extremely pathetic of me. Oh, poor Harry. I suppose dad set him straight?"

"He didn't have much choice. I can't say I feel too bad for Harry, though. I mean, I know he's the son of my best friends and the saviour of the wizarding world, but other than that... He ran away after the war, leaving everyone to else to clean up the mess; he wrote only Ron and Hermione and asked that they _only _give him news on how the Ministry was doing. He didn't ask for any information about you or your family or anyone he'd left behind. Harry has been a bad god-father to our son and an even worse friend to Ron and Hermione. You remember how he sent back their wedding invitation unopened and a note saying that they should have known better. He was their best friend; he should have been there. I simply can't feel sorry for him and I don't think you should either. Leaving you with a vague promise and then suddenly showing up eleven years later claiming that you two were supposed to get married."

Long calloused fingers trailed under the hospital gown Ginny wore and whispered over the scars on her shoulder, sending a small shiver through her. Ginny looked up at her husband and brought her lips up to his, kissing him sweetly.

"Harry will have to get over it," she told him. "Because really, I've grown quite partial to the life we've built together."

* * *

and we're done. i've had this one kind of forever, but i haven't had the motivation to post it until now. and even then it's more out of a 'well, i guess' sort of attitude, sorry to say. i'm sorry if the end is a bit 'Harry-bashing' of me; it fit with the story line. this is most likely the end of **The Alphabet Collection**. unless, of course, you guys have any more ideas for me. i'll take requests. or if you have any ideas what i should do about Cedric. i left him out there with no future in _**Maze **_and feel kind of bad about it. but i have no idea what i should do. anyway, yeah. hope y'all enjoyed it!


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